Richard Branson’s Virgin Voyages is not sailing into the Australian sunset. The adults-only cruise line has canceled all trips Down Under due to the Houthi rebel attacks in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen.
Virgin Voyages made the announcement on its website on Tuesday.
“With the safety of our passengers and crew as our number one priority … we remain very concerned about potential escalations in the Red Sea over the next 12 months,” the travel advisory reads. “This significant and ongoing conflict puts unacceptable risks for safe passage through the region for our Sailors, crew and vessel.”
Virgin is just the latest cruise line to change course. The conflict in the Red Sea has escalated because the Iranian-backed political and military group has continued to fire missiles at ships in the Red Sea. MSC Cruises, Royal Caribbean, and other lines have all rerouted their itineraries.
Houthi militant attacks in the Red Sea have disrupted trade and passage through the Suez Canal. Militants say they will continue to bomb the area until Israel ceases attacks on Gaza.
To avoid the route, the Resilient Lady, which is in the Mediterranean Sea, would have to sail completely around the western side of Africa to reach Australia. The long-haul cruise originally made stops in India and Thailand on its way to Australia. Once in the Pacific, the cruise ship sailed out of Sydney and Melbourne.
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Instead of sailing to Australia, the cruise will now reposition from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean. Virgin Voyages announced it is planning a long-haul trip from Athens, Greece, to San Juan, Puerto Rico. The new Caribbean route will include stops in St. Martin, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Colombia, and Dominica.
The luxury cruise line is offering a full refund or the option to rebook. The press release indicated Virgin Voyages hopes to return to Australia “once regional repositioning opportunities become more tenable.”
